I’ve often said that lovely sunny weather is castle weather, and such on a bank holiday Monday doubly so. It’s probably a good job then that this sunny bank holiday Monday gone found a trip to a castle. The castle in question was one I wasn’t particularly familiar with but Heather knows, namely Eynsford Castle. Unsurprisingly, this lies in the little village of Eynsford, a bus (booo) ride and short train journey away.


The castle itself is hidden away beyond the main road through the village, down a pretty little lane. It nestles in a spot by the river, a small, irregular mound enclosed by a curtain wall. The flint wall (giving me memories of Norfolk) still stands around much of the perimeter (barring the section which collapsed in the nineteenth century) though very little remains of the gatehouse. The interior buildings (domestic in nature; a first floor hall and solar with undercrofts, and a couple of kitchens—it seems there was never a keep) are reduced to mainly ground floor level at best and clinging foundation in places. There is just about enough to picture the tight little community packed by the river though, modest but functional.

After a bit of exploring—it’s not a big enough site to take that long—we sat and had lunch on the grass, very enjoyable despite the chocolate crispy bites melting into a single large lump! A bit more wandering round and taking photos and it was time to head to the promised pub by a ford. There Heather was remarkably patient in playing catch-ball with the children in the beer garden. As time wore on and we became hungry it seemed the few clouds in the sky were determined to pass in front of the Sun so we moved inside. Food was consumed (can’t remember what!) and relaxation had before it was finally decided to go catch the train back home.

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